She made us unhappy in house (“Interstellar“, “The Martian“), she made us swoon within the South (“The Assist”, “The Tree of Life”) and she or he made us cheer as she took on dangerous guys each actual (“Zero Dark Thirty“) and supernatural (“It Chapter Two”).
Since making her big-screen debut because the title character within the 2008 drama “Jolene,” Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain has had fairly a various profession these previous 20 years, enjoying a terrorist-hunting CIA analyst, a closely mascaraed televangelist and dozens of difficult ladies in between.
However by her illustrious profession, it is her brazen efficiency within the 2017 Aaron Sorkin movie “Molly’s Sport” that at all times stands proud most to me. The gripping playing drama — which sees Chastain play the real-life chief of a high-stakes, underground poker ring — is presently accessible to stream on Netflix, however the Oscar-nominated title will quickly be leaving the platform on the finish of the month.
Here is why it’s best to take a look at “Molly’s Sport,” and Chastain’s commanding efficiency therein, earlier than it leaves Netflix on Monday, March 31.
What’s ‘Molly’s Sport’ about?
Chastain’s character in “Molly’s Sport” would appear too absurd to be true, besides that she is, actually, an actual particular person.
The drama is predicated on the 2014 memoir of the identical title by Molly Bloom, a onetime Olympic-level mogul skier whose gold-medal desires finish early because of a sports activities damage. When she strikes to Los Angeles and takes on a bottle-service gig at a nightclub, she meets Dean Keith (Jeremy Robust), an actual property developer who pulls Molly into the world of underground poker.
Quickly, Molly is tasked with serving to to run Dean’s unlawful video games earlier than turning into so savvy and profitable that she breaks off on her personal playing empire in New York Metropolis, populated with film stars (Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are only a few of the recognized gamers in Bloom’s IRL video games), moneyed bankers and, most concerningly, members of the mafia.
When a raid is carried out on certainly one of her gamers, Molly’s standing because the “Poker Princess” is critically compromised, resulting in a full FBI investigation into Bloom’s playing empire, with Idris Elba appearing as her prison protection lawyer Charlie Jaffey.
The starry ensemble additionally contains Kevin Costner as Molly’s father, in addition to Michael Cera, Brian d’Arcy James, Chris O’Dowd and Invoice Camp as gamers in Molly’s ring.
Why is ‘Molly’s Sport’ Jessica Chastain’s finest efficiency?
Although Chastain has had many acclaimed roles over time, from her Oscar-winning flip as Tammy Faye Bakker in Michael Showalter’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” to her Golden Globe-winning work main Katheryn Bigelow’s “Zero Darkish Thirty”, to me, “Molly’s Sport” is the movie that took the performer from gifted actress to full-fledged film star.
With fashion, swagger and intercourse enchantment in spades, Chastain faucets into Molly’s fierce bold and steely resolve because the character makes her approach by the male-dominated and ever-dangerous world of underground poker, whereas at all times letting Bloom’s vulnerability peep by the cracks.
And the star manages all of that high-level depth whereas confidently navigating writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s characteristically wordy script, filled with playing jargon and rapid-fire dialogue.
Peter Debruge wrote in Variety that “Molly’s Sport delivers one of many display screen’s nice feminine elements — a dense, dynamic, compulsively entertaining affair, whose central function makes beautiful use of Chastain’s stratospheric expertise.” And we could not agree extra.
Why must you watch ‘Molly’s Sport’ on Netflix?
Past Chastain’s staggering efficiency — which earned the actress her fifth Golden Globe nomination — “Molly’s Sport” is an exceedingly entertaining watch, an brisk and interesting thriller that swiftly jumps from the splashy flashbacks of Molly’s poker-ring heyday to the present-day authorized ramifications of all of that card-game success.
The bio-drama is the directorial debut of Aaron Sorkin, already a Hollywood legend for his sharp, pressing screenwriting in movies like “A Few Good Males,” “Moneyball” and “The Social Community”, in addition to tv sequence together with “Sports activities Evening”, “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom.” That signature vigor could be felt all by “Molly’s Sport,” which earned Sorkin screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Writers Guild of America Awards.
“Powered by an intriguing story and a pair of excellent performances from Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, ‘Molly’s Sport’ marks a stable debut for writer-director Aaron Sorkin,” reads the vital consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, the place the movie boasts a stable 82% score.
Should you’re searching for a wise and classy thriller pulsing with a powerhouse efficiency by among the finest actresses of her era, “Molly’s Sport” starring Jessica Chastain must be added to your watchlist ASAP.
Watch “Molly’s Game” on Netflix now
